Research Guides: ARS Constructed Environments: Researching a Topic

Find Books

Search the 'Library Catalog' tab on the library website using keywords in the title, author, or subject, or the ISBN.

Ebooks can be accessed through links under the 'Online Access' section of the page.
Physical books are arranged using Library of Congress classification. The New School students can borrow or request materials to pick up at any of our locations:
- University Center Library (63 Fifth Avenue, 6th & 7th Floors): Art, Design, Technology
- List Center Library (6 E. 16th Street, 8th Floor): Humanities and Social Sciences
- Performing Arts Library (55 West 13th Street, 2nd Floor): Music, Dance, Theater

View Access and Borrowing info and renew books (My Account) on the library website. Most books can be borrowed for 16 weeks and renewed twice.

Use Consortium Libraries (NYU, Cooper Union, New York School of Interior Design) with your New School ID card.

Three ways to find related books:

Click on subject headings in the library catalog.
Browse the shelf to find books under the same call number.
Look up books and articles referenced in literature.

Offsite: Request items by clicking on the arrow to the right of the item listing and clicking on "Request Item." You will receive an email when the item is available, 1-2 days.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL): Recommended for books or articles not available through the library catalog. To request, login to your ILL account. See our FAQ for detailed instructions.

METRO: Resource-sharing service for New York City area libraries. Onsite access only (no borrowing privileges).

WorldCat: Search WorldCat, a union catalog of library holdings around the world.

Request a Purchase of any books that you need for your research.

The New School subscribes to several E-book Databases. Full-text searching is possible when searching within individual ebook databases.

Google Books can be used as a tool to search inside books. Locate books using our library catalog.

Ebook Central
An exhaustive selection of authoritative, scholarly e-books that combines ebook databases ebrary and EBL into one platform.
JSTOR
JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to create and maintain a trusted archive of important scholarly journals and to provide access to these journals as widely as possible. Content in JSTOR spans many disciplines, primarily in the humanities and social sciences. Recent articles are generally not available. JSTOR now includes access to the Artstor collection. Artstor is an extensive image resource for educational and scholarly use . Including high-quality images and visual media from top museums, archives, scholars, artists, and contributors around the world.

Find Databases and Articles

More recommendations can be found on the design databases page.

Art & Architecture Source
Formerly known as Art Source, Art & Architecture Source is an art research database that covers a broad range of subjects from fine, decorative and commercial art, to various areas of architecture and architectural design. It features full-text articles, indexing and abstracts for an array of journals, books and more.
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
This resource is based on the multi-volume index of the same name, which was published in 1963, collaborated by the Columbia University Avery Library collection. Now offered as an online database, it is the only comprehensive American guide to the past and current literature of architecture and design.
Bloomsbury Design Library
The Bloomsbury Design Library offers cross-searchable access to a broad and expanding range of encyclopedias, reference works, e-books, images, and more.
DAAI: Design and Applied Arts Index (ProQuest)
Design and Applied Arts Index (DAAI) provides abstracts and bibliographic records for articles, news items, and reviews published in design and applied arts periodicals from 1973 onwards. DAAI covers both new designers and the development of design and the applied arts since the mid-19th century, surveying disciplines including ceramics, glass, jewellery, wood, metalsmithing, graphic design, fashion and clothing, textiles, furniture, interior design, architecture, computer aided design, Web design, computer-generated graphics, animation, product design, industrial design, garden design, and landscape architecture.
MIT Press Direct
MIT Press covers more than 40 ejournals and 3200 ebooks , with 150 ebooks added annually. Subjects emphasized include cognitive science, digital humanities & new media, economics, environment, information science, neuroscience, philosophy, science/technology & society, and social sciences.

More recommendations can be found on the design databases page.

Art & Architecture Source
Formerly known as Art Source, Art & Architecture Source is an art research database that covers a broad range of subjects from fine, decorative and commercial art, to various areas of architecture and architectural design. It features full-text articles, indexing and abstracts for an array of journals, books and more.
DAAI: Design and Applied Arts Index (ProQuest)
Design and Applied Arts Index (DAAI) provides abstracts and bibliographic records for articles, news items, and reviews published in design and applied arts periodicals from 1973 onwards. DAAI covers both new designers and the development of design and the applied arts since the mid-19th century, surveying disciplines including ceramics, glass, jewellery, wood, metalsmithing, graphic design, fashion and clothing, textiles, furniture, interior design, architecture, computer aided design, Web design, computer-generated graphics, animation, product design, industrial design, garden design, and landscape architecture.
Arts & Humanities Full Text
Arts & Humanities Database provides online access to contemporary specialist arts titles combined with journals from related fields including ethnic studies, women’s studies, sociology, cultural studies, and more. Arts & Humanities Database titles include both scholarly peer-reviewed journals and selected trade and consumer titles relevant to applied arts and cultural studies.

JSTOR
JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to create and maintain a trusted archive of important scholarly journals and to provide access to these journals as widely as possible. Content in JSTOR spans many disciplines, primarily in the humanities and social sciences. Recent articles are generally not available. JSTOR now includes access to the Artstor collection. Artstor is an extensive image resource for educational and scholarly use . Including high-quality images and visual media from top museums, archives, scholars, artists, and contributors around the world.
ProQuest All Subscribed Content
All ProQuest databases, ranging from dissertations to newspaper articles to scholarly journals to trade journals to wire services.

A reference work is used in the preliminary stages of research. Subject-specific entries help the researcher find a concise overview of a topic, gain context, and gather additional sources.

Bloomsbury Design Library
The Bloomsbury Design Library offers cross-searchable access to a broad and expanding range of encyclopedias, reference works, e-books, images, and more.
Bloomsbury Architecture Library
The leading source of information for the study of architecture, urbanism, and interior design, Bloomsbury Architecture Library offers access to a carefully curated collection of fully-searchable text and image content.
Grove Art Online
The foremost scholarly art encyclopedia, updated regularly and covering global art and architecture from prehistory to present day.
Fairchild Books Interior Design Library
This database includes textbooks and supplementary resources that support interior design education; includes construction and building systems; drawing, modelling, and CAD; professional practice; principles of color, light, form, and materials; accessibility; sustainability; and history, theory, and criticism.

JSTOR
JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to create and maintain a trusted archive of important scholarly journals and to provide access to these journals as widely as possible. Content in JSTOR spans many disciplines, primarily in the humanities and social sciences. Recent articles are generally not available. JSTOR now includes access to the Artstor collection. Artstor is an extensive image resource for educational and scholarly use . Including high-quality images and visual media from top museums, archives, scholars, artists, and contributors around the world.
Digital Media Collection (LUNA Insight)
The Digital Media Collection (LUNA Insight) provides high resolution digital images of major works of Art, Architecture, Design and Cartography from four different resources: The New School Slide Collection, The Amica Library, the Digital Media Collection, and the Scholars Resource Collection.

Find Projects, Trends and Materials

DETAIL Inspiration
Database of thousands of international projects searchable by building type, construction, material, architectural topic, location, and year of construction, with documentation in German and English.
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
This resource is based on the multi-volume index of the same name, which was published in 1963, collaborated by the Columbia University Avery Library collection. Now offered as an online database, it is the only comprehensive American guide to the past and current literature of architecture and design.

Stylus
Stylus provides inspirational and informative research and relates it to prevailing consumer trends, acting as a catalyst to push the design industries to new levels.

Stylus is an excellent source for information on how materials are being used in current, cutting-edge design and products. Search tip: use the color and materials directory and filter to the architecture and spaces topic.

WGSN Interiors
Trend forecasting and reporting on furniture & lighting, decorative accessories, kitchen & tabletop, hospitality, experience design and wellness, and more.

BuildingGreen
This advertising-free database includes articles, reports, infographics, blog posts, and webcasts on sustainable materials, design strategies, building science, design process, and codes and certifications to support green buildings. It includes over 160 high-performance building case studies, and online versions of GreenSpec and Environmental Building News. This information is searchable and cross-referenced by CSI MasterFormat division, LEED credit, or green building topic.
Material Connexion
Material ConneXion is a materials consultancy that helps companies and scholars source advanced materials to enhance the performance, aesthetics and sustainability of their projects.

Find more recommendations on the Architecture and Interior Design guides.

ARS Constructed Environments

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